Anoushé Husain
{{Short description|Paraclimber}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
Anoushé Husain {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (born {{birth based on age as of date|31|2019|03|29|noage=1}}){{cite news |last1=Mitib |first1=Ali |title=Defying odds at dizzying heights: How paraclimbing transformed Anoushé Husain's life |url=https://hackneypost.co.uk/paraclimbing-anoushe-husain-castle-climbing/ |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=Hackney Post |date=29 March 2019 |quote=Anoushé, 31}} is a British paraclimber and civil servant.{{cite web |last1=Husain |first1=Anoushé |title=How I ended up finding the perfect career choice – and the chance to be who I am |url=https://civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2017/10/20/how-i-ended-up-finding-the-perfect-career-choice-and-the-chance-to-be-who-i-am/ |website=civilservice.blog.gov.uk |publisher=Civil Service |access-date=1 December 2023 |language=en |date=20 October 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Ochota |first1=Mary-Ann |title=Finding Our Way with Anoushé Husain – Paraclimbing, pain and the possible |url=https://www.thebmc.co.uk/finding-our-way-anoush-husain--paraclimbing-pain-and-the-possible |website=www.thebmc.co.uk |access-date=1 December 2023 |date=2 December 2022}}
Early life and education
Husain was born and grew up in Luxembourg, and has British and Pakistani ancestry.
She was born with her right arm missing below the elbow, and has had other health problems including cancer and Ehlers-Danlos.{{cite web |last1=Husain |first1=Anoushé |title=Anoushé Husain, Paraclimbiner, Just Broke a World Record |url=https://www.climbing.com/videos/anoushe-husain-paraclimbiner-world-record/ |website=Climbing |access-date=2 December 2023 |date=9 June 2022}}{{cite news |title=Anoushé Husain : Paraclimber |url=https://www.asianwomenmeanbusiness.com/anoushe-husain-paraclimber/ |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=Asian Women Mean Business |date=15 June 2019}} Her parents were helped by the British charity Reach, which supports children with missing upper limbs and their parents.{{cite web |title=Who are Reach? |url=https://reach.org.uk/who-are-reach/ |publisher=Reach |access-date=2 December 2023}} As a child she danced, swam competitively, played cricket and participated in martial arts. When she developed hypermobility her doctor told her to stop doing karate, and she was later diagnosed with Ehlers–Danlos. She had surgery on her thumb and her back, and at the age of 23 was diagnosed with cancer.
She has a degree in translation studies (French, English and Chinese, 2009) from the {{ill |Institut Supérieur de Traducteurs et Interprètes|fr}} in Brussels, and speaks eight languages. She has a master's degree in European governance (2012) from the University of Luxembourg.
Climbing
Her first experience of climbing was on a school trip when she was eight years old, but she returned to the sport aged 23 after treatment for cancer.
In 2018 she co-founded Paraclimbing London, which "aims to create a safe space and help remove barriers disabled people might have in accessing climbing in London".{{cite web |title=[Home page] |url=https://paraclimbinglondon.co.uk/ |website=Paraclimbing London |access-date=1 December 2023 |language=en}}
{{cite web |title=About |url=https://paraclimbinglondon.co.uk/about/ |website=Paraclimbing London |date=6 April 2021 |access-date=1 December 2023 |language=en }}
On 5 April 2022 she broke the world record for "greatest vertical distance climbed on a climbing wall with one hand in one hour (female)" when she climbed {{convert|374.85|m}} at the Castle Climbing Centre in London.{{cite web |last1=Pilastro |first1=Eleonora |title=Anoushé Husain climbs 374m one-handed: "The impossible is still possible" |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/5/anoushe-husain-climbs-374m-one-handed-the-impossible-is-still-possible-704716 |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=1 December 2023 |date=23 May 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Hooper |first1=Ben |title=Woman breaks one-handed climbing world record in London |url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/23/Guinness-World-Records-one-handed-climbing/6131653330348/ |access-date=1 December 2023 |work=UPI |date=23 May 2022 |language=en}}
Outside climbing
Since 2020 she has been Diversity and Staff Engagement Lead at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.{{cite web |title=Anoushé Husain |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoush%C3%A9-husain-4197a228/ |publisher=LinkedIn |access-date=1 December 2023}}
In 2017 she became an ambassador for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK (EDS-UK).{{cite web |title=Anoushé Husain: Paraclimber, Ambassador since December 2017 |url=https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/ambassadors/anoushe-husain/ |publisher=Ehlers-Danlos Support UK |access-date=2 December 2023 |language=en}}
Honours and recognition
Husain won the 2017 Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration in the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.{{cite web |title=Christie named Sportswoman of Year |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/41773914 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=1 December 2023 |date=27 October 2017}}
In 2018, Prime Minister Theresa May honoured Husain with the Points of Light award, describing her as "Paraclimbing ambassador".{{cite web |title=Paraclimbing Ambassador |url=https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/paraclimbing-ambassador/ |website=Points of Light |access-date=1 December 2023 |date=20 May 2018}}
Husain tells her story in her contribution to the 2022 book Tough Women, edited by Jenny Tough.{{cite book |last1=Tough |first1=Jenny |title=Tough Women |year=2022 |publisher=Somersdale |isbn=978-1787833005}}
Husain was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to people with disabilities as ambassador of Ehlers Danlos Support UK and LimbPower and disability champion. Her surname was spelled "Hussain" in the London Gazette.{{London Gazette |issue=64269 |date=30 December 2023 |page=N21 |supp=y }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|https://anoushehusain.com/}}
- {{cite web |title=If I Can |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gszaexqeI-8 |website=YouTube |publisher=Team BMC |access-date=2 December 2023 |language=en}} Video about Husain
- {{cite web |title=Adaptive Adventures: Anoushé Husain |url=https://meanderapparel.com/blogs/magazine/adaptive-adventures-anoushe-husain |website=MeanderApparel |access-date=2 December 2023 |language=en |date=3 December 2021}} Interview about Husain's climbing career
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:British civil servants
Category:British disabled sportspeople
Category:British female climbers
Category:British people of Pakistani descent
Category:Luxembourgian sportswomen
Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
Category:Sportspeople of Pakistani descent
Category:University of Luxembourg alumni